A pastor who spent a week fighting for his life after contracting coronavirus issued a stark warning about the disease from his hospital bed.

Dad-of-three Mark McClurg, 40, from County Down in Northern Ireland, begged people to observe social distancing rules to save lives.

In a video recorded from his hospital bed, he warned: "This coronavirus is deadly and is dangerous.

"Coronavirus wants to kill you, it wants to take all the life out of your lungs so you can't even breathe.

"I'm grateful I'm alive today."

For the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, click here

Mark McClurg begged people to pay attention to social distancing guidelines

He heaped praise on NHS staff who had saved his life, saying many of them had accepted that they were going to be infected themselves.

He continued: "When I was at my lowest I couldn't even talk."

And he urged people not to be complacent about

"Don't think this won't touch you. Don't think this is just a cold and cough.

The dad-of-three said people cannot be complacent about the killer virus

"If you go into ICU, you will struggle to breath.

"Please please please listen to the government. We will get through this but we need to protect the NHS.

"I've seen their faces. Some of them have come to terms that they're going to get coronavirus.

"Do your part, stay at home."

Mr McClurg said he feared that medics would be forced to decide who lives and who dies as demand for ventilators worsens.

And he continued: "Just because we're social distancing doesn't mean we can't pick up the phone."

There have been five confirmed deaths in Northern Ireland as a result of the outbreak.

The pastor told BBC Radio Ulster : "I am not a doctor, but let me say it like this, if we don't keep six feet apart, we are going to end up six feet under."